MATH 280-01 Problem Solving for Math Competitions
Syllabus for Fall 2009
Fridays 3:00 – 3:50pm (1 s.h.)
327 Gildemeister
Prerequisite: Technically none, though a good understanding of pre-calculus (Math120), calculus (Math160), and discrete math (Math210) will be helpful.
Text: None.
Instructor: Dr. Eric Errthum Office: 124A Gildemeister Hall
Winona Email Username: eerrthum Office Phone: 474-5775
Grading:
Attendance
100 points
Class Participation /
Presentations
100 points
MAA Team Contest
Participation
100 points
Putnam Competition
Participation
100 points
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400 points total
Grades: A = 70% (280 pts), B = 60% (240 pts), C = 40% (160 pts), D = 25% (100 pts)
Course Goal: The main goal of this course is to HAVE FUN solving math problems. The secondary goal of this course is to fill out your mathematical toolbox (both by dusting the rust off of stuff you haven’t seen in a while and by seeing some new things). Lastly, the hope is to prepare students to represent Winona State in regional and national math competitions. We will do this by studying the problems and solutions from previous competitions and other problem sources.
Class Structure: Each class will end with students given a set of competition style problems to consider outside of class. Each student will also be given a solution to one of the problems in a sealed envelope which they may open (or not) at any point. The following class will then consist of students taking turns explaining the solution to their problem at the board or getting help from other students for parts of the solution they may not have understood. Other students are encouraged to help fill in the gaps, critique the solution, offer alternate solutions, etc. in a constructive and polite manner. Then, of course, the class ends with another round of problems and solutions handed out. Grades for the presentations will be based on how well you are prepared (demonstrated either by showing what you understand or by showing what you don’t understand), not on how well you understand every mathematical aspect of your solution.
MAA Team Contest: On Saturday, November 14, the MAA North Central Section Team Contest will be held. Students work together in groups of 3 on a set of 10 problems. (Last year we had 5 teams competing and one of them scored in the top 10!) The contest is administered on the WSU campus during the morning and grades will not depend on your score, only on whether or not you participated.
Putnam Competition: The William Lowell Putnam Competition is an annual mathematics competition for undergraduate students in the United States and Canada that has been held since 1938. (The overall winner gets a scholarship for Harvard graduate school.) Students work alone on 2 sessions of problems, each with 6 questions. Sessions are 3 hours long and separated by a lunch break (9am-noon and 2-5pm). The competition is administered on the WSU campus and will take place on Saturday, December 5. Grades will not depend on your score, only on whether you participated (50 points for one session, 100 points for both).
Credit: If you have taken this course before for credit, you can do so again. Also, if you’re interested in participating in this class or any of the competitions without officially signing up for the class, great! All are welcome to participate!
Time: Currently, this class is scheduled to meet at 3:00pm on Fridays. However, if this time does not work for a majority of students who want to participate, I am open to moving it to a different time slot, though most likely it will have to be in the late afternoon or early morning to guarantee we can find an open room.